Never Let Me Go
by TragicallyMagical
Summary: After I was diagnosed with Huntington's disease I had one rule I felt compelled to follow. Don't fall in love when you have an incurable disease that's going to kill you. But looking at Collin all I wanted to do was forget what was happening to me, what was eventually going to rule my life, and let him in. I just wanted to live without worrying about tomorrow. Collin Imprint Story!
1. 1 Moving In, Moving On

**Hello :) **

**I know that I have two stories in progress right now (one that's becoming less clear in my head unfortunately) but the idea for this story has been in my head for a while now and I think that since I have been writing a Brady imprint story I needed to write a Collin imprint story, so here it is :)**

**The summary describes most of what this story will be about, a girl with Huntington's disease, but this chapter and a couple more will be before she finds out she has it. Now if some of you don't know about Huntington's it will be described throughout the story. I just thought it would be different to write about something like that since it is a tragic disease. **

**Hope everyone enjoys this story as much as my others! **

Chapter 1

Moving In, Moving On

Rain pelted down onto the window, and I counted in my head how long each drop would stay in place before they scurried their way down the glass, onto new and better things. That's exactly what we were doing here in Washington, moving onto new and better things. We were getting away from Arizona to start fresh, as my mom would put it. I thought that we were only moving here because my mom found a better job opportunity. Hell, that's the only reason why I decided to come with, because otherwise we would probably end up on the street if we didn't. Don't get me wrong, Arizona holds a lot of painful memories for all of us, but it was home. I felt comfortable there, I had friends in Arizona. Plus, my dad was buried there. Part of me felt like it was wrong to move away from him just to escape the pain his death brought upon all of us. It was expected though, not any less horrible, but expected.

I considered him gone a few years ago to be quite honest. It all started when he forgot who I was. When that happened it changed everyone, including my happy-go-lucky brother Luke. I honestly think he took it the hardest since him and my dad did practically everything together. Ever since my dad's mind started turning into mush Luke hasn't been the same. My mom really hasn't either, but she tries the best she can for the both of us. Her great spirit is what holds us all together.

And me? I don't know. I guess I was never really the same person I used to be after he was diagnosed with Huntington's disease. After watching him go through so much agony I worried for me and my brother. Not because we would have to go through life without a father. No, the real reason was because we both had a fifty percent chance of getting the disease too. It wasn't contagious, it was genetic. Either we had the gene or we didn't, and the thought of that still haunts me every second of everyday.

"Ellie?" my mom looked at me through the rearview mirror. I was braiding my long blond hair like I always did when I got stressed. She's grown to realize this, so obviously her first reaction was to see if I was alright. She's become a worry wart ever since dad died a month ago. I guess I should've expected her to act like this, secretly worrying about me getting Huntington's too, but covering it up by acting like she was worried about something else. It was routine for her lately, "Are you ok?"

I bit my lip and sighed, looking over to my brother who was too interested in his iPod to even hear what anyone was saying, typical teenage boy, "I'm fine," I tied the rubber band previously residing on my wrist around my hair, "I just don't understand why we have to live on a Native American reservation when Forks looks pretty nice of a place to live too. Isn't it illegal to live on a tribe's reservation if you're not actually in the tribe?"

My mom laughed her blue eyes that I inherited from her glistening in the mirror. I enjoyed hearing her laugh. It was rare, to say the least, "It's not illegal, and you know why. We can't afford much else."

I shrugged, "I just thought that's why it was called a 'reservation'," I used air quotes to emphasize my point, "it's 'reserved'," more air quotes, "for the people of the 'reserved'," air quotes, "Native American tribe."

She rolled her eyes at me, bursting out into a fit of laughter and almost swerving the car into the next lane. It wasn't easy to get her to laugh this much, and I was trying really hard to get her to do it if you couldn't tell. This is probably one of the worst jokes I've ever cracked before.

"We'll have to bring a lot of gifts to make sure they don't kick us out. And I'll teach Luke how to act like a normal human being in case they're weird about that sort of thing."

Luke took the headphones out of his ears, his spiky brown hair sticking up in every direction. I didn't get how _this _sort of hairstyle was in fashion nowadays. He honestly looked like he was going to become a Backstreet Boy, "What are you saying about me?"

I chuckled, looking over to him, "There are only two rooms in the new house, so you're going to have to sleep outside."

He glared at me with his dark brown eyes, looking so much like my dad that I just wanted to rip his whole face off and throw it out the window, "Shut up, and if anyone's sleeping outside it's _you_, pippi longstocking."

He grabbed my braid and I just about lost it, "Get your dirty paws off me Justin Bieber," I slammed my hand right on top of his hair to crush the spikes he so carefully crafted this morning at the rest stop.

"Damn it Ellie! I'm going to kill you!" he threw his iPod and lunged at me, trying to tackle me while we were in a car. With our seatbelts on. Good one.

His lanky fifteen year old body was no match for my perfectly sculpted seventeen year old muscles. I somehow managed to get him in a headlock before he could do anything to me.

"Will you two settle down? We're almost there!"

"Sure, just let me do something first," I scraped my fingers through his greasy hair several times to ruin his supposed 'cool hairdo' and giggled as he squirmed in my iron grip. When I was finished trying to save my brother's hair from total destruction, I threw him back towards his seat and wiped my hands off on his shirt.

He slapped my arm away and pushed me against the window, clearly pissed off, "Don't ever touch my hair again."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, "Aw sorry to cramp your style. You should be thanking me really. Anymore gel in your hair and it would be greasy enough to make a full bottle of cooking spray."

"Mom!" he shouted like the little wuss he was. He was such a little baby.

"You kids will be the death of me one of these days," at the mention of the word death all of us shut our mouths, and suddenly the air felt tense. My mother looked like she just did something criminal by the way her eyes widened. I stiffened from the word, placing my arms around my torso to stop the pain I felt inside. All of us stayed quiet for the rest of the ride, looking out through our respected windows.

After that you could feel that something was missing. It was like we all suddenly realized the front passenger's seat was empty even though we had been driving all morning. I don't know why no one sat there; I guess it just _felt_ like he should be there. My eyes dampened when I thought of him and I closed them to stop myself from crying. I couldn't stand to cry anymore.

* * *

My mom shook me awake when we finally pulled up to the house. I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and blinked a few times. I couldn't tell you how I managed to sleep for the rest of the ride, but I was glad I did. It made it go by much faster.

The three of us took the sight of the house in inside of the car since it was pouring outside. Great, nothing like carrying boxes in and out of the house in the rain. Was it always going to be like this? Would the sun ever grace us with its presence? I guess that only happened in Arizona, where the sun visited on a daily basis. Oh how I miss sitting out with the UV rays tanning up my skin. My best friends are stuck behind the clouds forever I guess.

I took in the exterior of the place. It seemed a little run down, but that's what gave it its charm. It practically screamed home to me. The house was covered in dark green paneling that was chipping here and there. The windows were trimmed with a black paint covering the wood, and a small porch lined the front of the house.

"Should we go check out the inside?" mom suggested, clicking her seatbelt.

"Yeah," I sighed and pulled the hood of my sweater over my head, "nothing like getting soaked your first day here. La Push is definitely not making a good first impression on me."

"Same here. I miss the sun," my brother chimed in beside me.

"Oh you'll get used to it. Let's go before it rains so much that we drown in the car," she opened the door in a flash and dashed inside the house, leaving the two of us in here to fend for ourselves.

"I wouldn't doubt that we would drown," I looked at the huge puddle forming right outside my door and down at the flats I was wearing. Definitely need to invest in some boots, "I guess I'll be brave and give this a shot," I held my breath like I was about to go underwater.

"Good luck with that. I think I'll hang out in here for a while."

Ha, he didn't know the mistake he was making. I opened the door and was immediately hit by rain, "Suit yourself. Guess you _will_ be sleeping outside tonight," I slammed the door behind me, jumped over the puddle and sprinted towards the front door.

Instantly, I heard the sound of his own door opening and closing, "You are so not going to get first pick of rooms!"

I ran up the steps two at a time, not even caring that my shoes were now drenched in water. As soon as I reached for the knob my brother grabbed my arm, somehow catching up to me.

"Where the hell did you learn to run?" I pushed him off of me and twisted the door open, stepping inside the house for the first time.

"There's one room upstairs and one down here for the both of you," my mom pointed out from the kitchen, obviously knowing what we were doing the second she saw us.

"I get the one down here!" We both screamed at the same time, stopping dead in our tracks to argue.

"I'm older, therefore I get to have the room downstairs."

"I'm smarter and funnier and hotter, meaning I'm the one that deserves that room," he smirked.

"What? You're delusional! How could you determine you're hotter when we're related and you technically can't take my looks into consideration since that would be considered incest?"

"Fine, flip a coin to see who gets the room," he reached back into his pocket to get a coin, and while he was distracted I took a dart for the hallway that would most likely lead to victory.

When I finally found what I was looking for I ran into the empty, spacious room, pumping my fists into the air like I just won a gold medal at the Olympics. Luke came running in after me, completely breathless and extremely pissed. He cursed silently and shook his head at me, "You're so dramatic," he commented on my victory dance. I didn't care, he was just jealous.

After fighting a little more about whether or not I was being fair, mom stepped in and let me win. I did another victory dance in response. I finally took in my room, noticing that the closet was a bit small but I could manage. There was a huge window off to the left side of the room, giving me a perfect view of the evergreen forest behind our house. All I can say is, I wanted to decorate the hell out of this place.

Once I got a good look around my room, I took a look around the rest of the house. The kitchen was small, and yet it seemed to be the perfect size for the three of us. Our old kitchen table was already set up in here since the movers got a head start before we did. The cabinets were painted white and the walls were brightly covered in yellow. It was exactly the same as the color our old living room was painted in. My dad had picked it out, stating that it reminded him of the beach resort we went to years back. Needless to say, it tugged a bit at my insides when I realized it. This was a good way to remember him though.

I moved onto the living room, taking in the ocean blue walls. The old black bookcase from home was set up along the back wall, and our cream colored couches were smack dab in the middle of the room with the old television residing in front of it. My family and I made so many memories in our old living room. Friday family game nights were always fun when I was a kid. After my dad got sick we completely let go of all of that.

I felt someone place their hands on my shoulders. When I realized it was my mom I immediately settled, erasing the haunting thoughts of our old life from my mind for now, "I know it's not much, but we can spruce it up a bit."

"It's perfect mom," I never thought I would say that so soon. I truly felt that way though. This was perfect. As soon as we personalized it a bit it would be a great little home.

"Come on, we have to bring in the rest of the stuff."

I groaned, hesitating to follow her out into the rain. My brother was already starting to bring stuff in, dripping water from head to toe. It surprised me since he practically worshipped his hair which was now just a dampen mess.

"You so don't deserve that room," he commented.

I rolled my eyes, "You'll get over it soon enough."

I turned back towards the door and stared down at my soaking wet feet. And as I stepped back out into the rain I heard deep voices I didn't recognize. I started heading down the front steps, looking up only to find three giant, copper skinned guys standing on our front lawn talking to my mother. Not to mention, they weren't wearing shirts. While it was raining.

My eyes bugged out of their sockets when I comprehended this fact, and I slipped and fell on my ass because of how completely baffling it was. Or maybe it was just because I've never seen abs like that in my entire life. Not even the male models in magazines had stomachs that perfectly sculpted.

One of the three ran up to me and helped me up immediately. I wiped off my jeans and shrugged it off like it was no big deal, when in reality I was freaking out just because I was in their presence. I also wanted to know why the hell his hand felt so hot. It was burning my skin, even through my flannel shirt.

"Are you alright?" I could hear a slight chuckle come off the end of his question. The other two didn't really seem to notice, still talking to my mother. What is going on here?

I finally took into account how huge this guy was, easily towering over my normally tall frame. At 5'8'' you'd think I was a string bean compared to other people. Compared to this giant I was a pea.

"I'm fine," my voice shook a little. I cursed myself for letting my nerves consume me, "Just not used to so much rain."

"Well, get used to it. Rain's all you get here," he smiled widely at me. His hand slowly rose and he stuck it out towards me. When I looked down at it I couldn't help but avert my gaze to his abs. They were now glossy from the rain. Oh lord, please give me the strength to _not_ pass out, "I'm Seth by the way."

I placed my hand in his overly sized one, feeling like I just stuck it in a giant toaster, "Ellie. So, is there a no shirt policy here or something?"

All of a sudden the other two hotties made their way towards us, my brother glaring at them the whole time he brought boxes inside the house.

"No let me guess, you guys just came back from a bodybuilding competition."

"Ellie, that's no way to talk to the locals," my mom gave me a stern look, "These nice boys just offered to help us move in, isn't that nice honey?"

"We figured you could use some help with the bigger stuff, since it is raining and all," The biggest of the three came a step closer to me, and I felt my cheeks burning. This is too much for one girl to handle, "I'm Jacob by the way, and this is Embry."

The other guy, Embry, waved a little while I just stood in a complete daze. Was this how all of the guys here looked? If so, then I really was not complaining. In fact, I love La Push. I'll print it on a t-shirt to prove it.

"I'm Ellie," I introduced myself, "and thanks for the help. If you haven't noticed by now we could use all the help we can get."

They smiled in unison, and I just about died, "It's not a problem. Just lead the way and we'll follow," oh God they were going to _follow_ me? Please please don't make yourself look like an ass.

And of course I did the whole freaking time. Note to self, buy rain boots. They won't cause you to make a complete fool out of yourself in front of the hot bulky dudes. Which is exactly what I did every five seconds. Whenever I slipped or lost my footing though, one of them would catch me, and I would blush. And I would forever remember how it felt to be up against their biceps.

After we got everything out of the small trailer and the trunk of our car, all of us were finally able to stay dry for more than five seconds. It was unbelievable the amount of water I was soaked in right now. I feel like I just killed a hundred fish.

I got some towels out of the box labeled bathroom and handed one to Jacob, Embry, and the last one Seth. Who my mom kept eyeing like a creep.

"Would you boys like something to eat? I'm sure I could order something."

Two of them said yes, but Jacob said no. All it took was a stern look from Jacob for them to back down. I couldn't help but laugh, "We actually have to be somewhere soon, but thanks for the offer," Jacob said, grinning at my mom.

"Do any of you go to the Quileute tribal school? Ellie will be going there when the year starts and I'm sure it would be nice if one of you could show her around," my mom smiled like she was doing me a favor.

Really? She thought they were still in high school? They all looked like they were in their twenties for God's sake! Not only that but she was trying to get one to give me a tour. How awkward.

"Mom-,"

"We don't, but Seth does," Embry nudged him.

"Yeah I'll be starting my senior year," Seth added with an all too happy look on his face.

I was shocked to say the least. _He_ was in high school? _He_ was my age? Really? How?

"Well isn't that wonderful. Maybe you two could exchange numbers and get together som-,"

"Didn't you guys say you had to be somewhere?"

"Ellie," my mom patted my arm lightly, "Don't be rude."

"No, she's right Mrs. Porter, we really should be going," Jacob stood up and Embry and Seth followed after him. It was a little weird how they kept doing that.

"Well thank you for all your help boys. If it weren't for you we would probably be getting crushed by those bed frames."

They all laughed, "No problem. If you need anything else we're always around."

I stayed in the kitchen, leaning up against the counter as they walked out of the room. Seth trailed behind and eventually stopped walking, turning towards me, "It was nice meeting you Ellie. Hopefully I'll see you around school?"

"Yeah, I guess, but I'm dreading it. Being the new girl isn't really my thing," I groaned.

He shrugged, "Don't worry I'm sure you'll play the role very well."

Seth actually got me to chuckle at that one, "Thanks."

"Let's go Seth," I heard Jacob call from the other room.

"Gotta go," he waved and smiled at me, reminding me of an innocent child. Which was weird since he looked like a line backer and a lot older than he actually was.

I waved back at him and watched as his figure disappeared. After they were gone my mom walked back into the kitchen while my brother came out of hiding.

"Jesus you'd think they were male strippers or something," Luke looked like he was scarred for life.

"I wish," I muttered.

"Seth seemed like a nice boy didn't he Ellie?" my mom had an expression on her face that just screamed matchmaker.

"Mom, I just met the guy," I slapped my hand over my face, "Can we please just get back to moving in?"

She sighed, "Alright fine, but I'm just saying-,"

"Nope! Not listening!" I covered my ears.

"Conversation's over," she lifted her hands in surrender, trying to hide a smile, "So who wants to go to the hardware store and pick out some paint for their room? Then I was thinking we could go get some food to put in this house."

"I'm in," I definitely didn't want my walls to be a bland white the rest of my life. Plus, I could probably see if there was an animal shelter around this painfully small town. Maybe I could even look for places that are hiring.

"I'm starving," my brother immediately stood up and headed for the door, "Let's go."

We all piled into the car and headed out. Eventually we realized there was nothing in La Push except for a beach and some houses. We ended up driving through Forks and into Port Angeles which is where most of the stores were. I noticed only one animal shelter and figured I could take a look there sometime before I went to school to see if I could volunteer.

Once we got to the hardware store we went straight to the paint swatches. I picked out two variations of teal that I figured would be a nice fit with my black bedspread, one a light color called Aqua Spray and the other a darker color with the name Mermaid Treasure. Don't ask, I didn't make the names.

My brother chose red, grey, and black for his room. Don't ask about that either, I have no idea what he's thinking. And my mom chose a nice periwinkle. Once we got all of the painting supplies we figured we would need, we paid for the stuff and left.

Next stop was the grocery store, where it seemed as if we took every single product they sold. It was only because we were starving. Trust me, you do a lot of weird shit when you're really hungry. I'm sure you could hear all of our stomachs a mile away.

As we checked out, I noticed a big and bulky guy that was hovering over the girl in front of us, staring at her like he was in a whole other world that only included her. It was completely freaking me out and I was tempted to ask her if she was ok with this creep drooling down her neck.

Then, he suddenly grabbed her around the waist and I was ready to call the police. Except she laughed, becoming completely distracted by his presence. Luke groaned next to me, mumbling something about getting a room.

"Kim, come on you know how much I love you," I heard him say to her. It's not like he was really being quiet about it.

The cashier told them the final total of their food and it was like she told them to give her a show, because the guy started nibbling on her ear. Then he started kissing her neck and I was ready to throw up. The cashier looked terrified. Horny people I swear.

"Jared, stop," she protested but giggled.

I rolled my eyes, and just as he was about to kiss her on the lips I spoke up, "Can you please refrain from sucking face right now? I'm sorry but some of us would like to eat dinner tonight without puking, thanks."

My mom shot me a glare. I know my mouth got me in trouble sometimes, and I didn't care. PDA was disgusting to me.

I saw the girl, Kim I'm assuming, blush while the guy seemed to fly off the handle. He turned around towards me, shaking like a maniac and glaring at me.

"Who the hell are you to talk?"

"I'm a customer, in the same line that you're trying to dry hump your girlfriend, and I would appreciate if you would take your love fest somewhere else."

"Ok that's enough out of you," my mom grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Kim seemed to do the same since her stupid boyfriend looked like he was ready to pummel me into the ground. I'd like to see him try.

I kept my eyes on the angry asshole as he was being dragged out of the store. It seemed like the girl struggled since he was so huge. In the back of my head I wondered if he was one of Jacob, Embry and Seth's friends. They all looked the same, so it was an accurate assumption.

All I can say is, that guy is a horn dog, and even though he's hot he's completely inappropriate. Not to mention he has some anger issues. He looked like he was literally vibrating and ready to explode all because I called him out on his rudeness. Sorry, but I wasn't the type to keep my mouth shut.

Once we left the store my mom lectured me on how I completely embarrassed myself in there and I had no right to argue with 'that boy'. I tuned her out after hearing that. I drifted off and thought about how this whole thing would've played out if my dad was alive. If he were here I know for sure he would've laughed about what happened. He would've made my mom believe that he agreed with her and then secretly patted me on the back for what I did at home.

Thinking about it made my stomach churn, and suddenly I didn't feel all that hungry anymore. He wasn't here, and he wasn't coming back. All because of a stupid disease that ate away at his brain cells. A disease that was the number one thing I feared most in this screwy world.

**So how was it? **

**If you guys enjoyed it then let me know in a review :) next chapter will be when Collin sees her for the first time. And don't worry Seth and her are NOT going to have a thing together if you were wondering...**

**Next chapter is already in my head and I'm very excited to write it out! **

**Thank you for reading! :)**

**~KK**


	2. 2 I'm Allergic to Bullshit

**Thank you all for giving this story a chance and adding it to your story alerts/favorites lists! And also thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! I appreciate all the great feedback :)**

**Here is a new chapter for all of you! I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 2

I'm Allergic to Bullshit

The best part about having a bedroom on the bottom floor was the fact that it made it easier to sneak out of the house at midnight. It wasn't like this was my first time, but it was a new house. I've done this so many times before it has practically become my profession. I should get a medal for most consecutive escapes without being caught.

I walked out the front door, remembering to bring a key along with me so I wasn't locked out when I got back. I clicked the door shut behind me and was immediately smacked by a huge gust of wind. My t-shirt and shorts allowed the freezing cold air to hit my skin and I cursed myself for not having warmer clothes on. Could you blame me though? It was the end of August! Usually at this time Arizona would be blazing with heat. Not this place I guess. It's like La Push just attracts the cold weather. How great for someone who's used to sweating at this time of night.

I wandered down the street and strained to see much in the little light that the street lamp provided. While I walked I took in the sight of the thousands of stars filling up the sky. It was something I've never witnessed before. I was prone to seeing only a few stars out at night, but this was just amazing.

My eyes stayed glued to the sky as I made my way to the beach. I remembered seeing it while we went to the store. It gave me a slight glimmer of hope that I could possibly feel like I'm back in Arizona right here in Washington.

When I finally reached the beach, I immediately took my shoes off and let my feet sink into the soft, damp sand. I closed my eyes, taking in the scent of dew and salt water and listening to the sound of the waves rolling up to shore. My hands curled around the wind that blew up against them. I let the misty air from the storm fill up my lungs. It was one of the most serene moments I've ever had in my life.

I looked out into the water, and the only thing I could see was the moon bouncing off of the ocean's surface here and there. I took in the rest of the beach, noticing a bunch of driftwood scattered around the sand and a bunch of rocks over to the far left side of the beach. I headed in the direction of the rocks, letting my mind become completely free of any negative thoughts for now.

I used to do stuff like this all the time; my preferred spot was the park a couple of blocks away from our house. Now I was officially marking this beach as my spot to get away from life and let my thoughts go in any direction they please.

I climbed up onto one of the bigger rocks and felt determined to find the perfect place to plop down and let my mind drift. A few rocks later and I sat down without hesitation, taking in the full beauty of the scene in front of me. The moon hung full and round smack dab in the middle of the sea while the stars were scattered around it, looking as if they were creating a wall between the moon and the rest of the world. The water hit the rocks with a loud crashing sound, and I was instantly covered in water. For some reason I didn't mind it as much as the rain from before. This felt completely peaceful.

I could live in this moment forever.

I sat there with my legs pulled up to my chest, just listening to the sounds and enjoying the sights. My head stayed quiet until the thought of my father popped up out of the blue.

That's when my mind churned and my heart thudded in my chest. When my eyes felt damp and my knees felt weak. I was thinking about it, again. About that stupid gene that I might or might not have.

It was like a horrible tumor in the back of my head, always there lurking quietly, waiting for the right moment to strike me again and again. The fear that I might have Huntington's was too much to bear now. I've been worrying about it my whole life, and for some reason a dreadful feeling settled deep in the pit of my stomach while I thought about it at this moment. It was like I was too afraid to admit it to myself that I already knew I had the gene, too scared to think about what would happen if it turned out that I did have the disease. I would be tested and then bam my life would be changed forever. I would live in fear of losing the life I've created for myself. Everything would crumble down to pieces if I had this stupid disease.

I would become moody and see things that weren't actually there. Depression would set in, and if I'm lucky the pills will help calm that part down. Then I wouldn't be able to speak right or walk normally. Worst of all, I would eventually lose sight of who I was, losing every memory I've ever created. That was the most painful part about it. When my dad went through it I hated seeing him forget simple things that anyone would know by heart. Like our address or our phone number, even his name. Watching his head become empty was like watching someone kill him in an excruciatingly slow and painful way. It was the worst experience I have ever been forced to live through. When he thought I was a neighbor that lived down the street instead of his own daughter I just about burst into tears.

My vision blurred from the water that wanted to escape. I didn't let it have its way though. I wouldn't let myself become weak. I had to stop thinking like this or else it would surely tear me apart. I had a fifty percent chance to stay healthy and live a long and happy life. I still have to go to college and pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian. There was no way I was going to have that gene. No way in hell.

A harsh growl and distinct footsteps coming towards the beach made my breath hitch, and I forced myself to stay completely still. The figure stepped out of the woods in only a pair of shorts, looking extremely flustered and pissed off. He was cursing left and right, coming straight towards the part of the beach I was on. For some odd reason my heart almost leaped out of my throat when I caught sight of his face. His hair was messy and the moon let me get a glimpse of its dark brown color. His lips were pulled back in a scowl that seemed to be plastered onto his face, and his eyebrows were knit together in frustration.

Even though he looked like he was ready to kill anything that came in contact with him I felt the urge to ask him what was wrong. I wanted to comfort him and listen to him as he told me what was pissing him off so much. I wanted to get lost in his muscles and...

Wait.

What did I just say?

I wanted to get lost in his_ muscles_?

A blush creeped up on me, and I looked back out at the ocean, praying he didn't see me. It was weird enough that he was here in the first place, I couldn't handle the way my heart was speeding up like it was enjoying having his presence here. He couldn't see me. He just might kill me if he did.

"God damn it! Why can't I do anything right to you? You selfish piece of shit! You take us all for granted and put on an act in front of her! I hate you! I'm going to rip your fucking throat out one day I swear to God I will!" the shouting went on like this for what seemed like forever. I just listened to the nonsense, trying to figure out if some of the words he was spitting out were actually in English. I cringed when I saw him shaking almost exactly like the way that horny Jared guy was before. Was he having a seizure? Should I be concerned? Aw hell.

I was getting ready to make a run for it when the screaming finally stopped. My mouth clamped shut as soon as he turned in my direction, and I stayed frozen in place when he took notice of me. Then, when we made eye contact, everything changed.

His expression turned from cold and harsh to warm and content in a matter of seconds. I couldn't stray my eyes away from his no matter how much my head was screaming at me to turn around and go home. All we did was look at each other, no words spoken, just staring. I took notice to how he looked like he was just given the best gift of his life, like he won some sort of reward or something. All I knew was that I was shocked by the way my leaped just from seeing him, and I honestly can say I have never felt this way about a stranger before. It was like I was being chained to the rock I was sitting on, forcing me to stay here and enjoy how gorgeous this guy was.

What the heck is happening right now?

We stayed that way for a few more minutes, and after a while I couldn't tell if he was staring at me because of what I heard him shouting about or because he was glad I was here. I erased the second guess from my mind. How could that even be possible?

As soon as I thought that, his gaze dropped down to the sand and he cursed again, his shaking subsiding as suddenly as it started. The spell I was under let me go and I placed my hand over my heart to try and get it to slow down. I'm pretty sure it was ready to burst from how fast it was beating. Damn you stupid source of life.

"Did you hear all of that?" I looked over and watched as he started heading closer to me. My head was telling me to keep my distance, but everything else wanted him snuggling up next to me. I had to sit on my hands to stop them from reaching out and touching him when he was close enough. Shit, I'm losing it.

"It depends," my voice was shaky, "if I say yes, will you hurt me?" I knew that this one stupid joke could possibly turn out to be a serious question in the end. He was huge and if I had pissed him off even more by being here then he could want to beat me up. Why didn't I just run?

A sound came out of his mouth, a chuckling sort of happy sound. And all of a sudden, a brilliant smile took over his face, making him look even more perfect than before. My stomach started to flip flop now, practically doing back hand springs. I sucked the drool back into my mouth that was threatening to embarrass me.

"I'm sorry about that," he took one more step towards the rock I was sitting on; "I didn't mean to scare you."

I shrugged, not even daring to say anything else. Who knows, this guy could have a short tolerance for snarky comments.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's a girl like you doing out here at this time of night?" he stepped up onto the huge rock I was on in one swift movement and I scowled at the fact that it was so simple for him when I was out of breath after I climbed that thing.

When I got over the fact that this guy was standing no more than seven feet away from me, his abs practically touching my face, I took in what he said. I blinked myself back into reality and really thought about where I was, what I was doing, and how the hell I got caught up in a conversation with a half-naked hot stranger. Why did I feel so compelled to talk to this guy?

"I…I…," I found it a little hard to speak with the way he was looking at me, "I just came here to think I guess. It is a public beach you know."

He nodded, his eyes darting rapidly between my face and the rock. I was assuming that he was mentally asking me if he could sit down, but I acted as if I was oblivious to it. I gazed back out at the ocean and prayed that he would take the hint and leave me alone. I couldn't handle this weird feeling inside of me anymore.

He didn't leave though, he just stood there staring at me.

"So," I daringly looked at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing that his hands now resided in his pockets, "you must be new here, because I'm pretty sure I would've noticed your beautiful face anywhere."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion, and all of a sudden I was turning back into the mean and snarky Ellie again, "Is that supposed to be a pick up line or something? Or is it the way all the guys act here? Because really I don't know if I should be extremely creeped out by that or flattered that some random guy is paying me compliments on a beach at almost one in the morning."

He seemed taken aback by the way I flew off the handle, his mouth hanging open and his eyes making him look like a deer in headlights.

I stood up and turned away from him when he didn't speak, ignoring the fact that it felt as if some physical force was trying to tug me towards him. I resisted the pull and headed down the rocks so I could get away from this stupid feeling, away from him. Far away from him. But a voice inside of me screamed to stay put and talk to him, which made it harder to run away.

"Wait," I heard him starting to follow me which only motivated me to move faster, but me being the clutz I am I slipped on my way down. As I fell backwards, the stranger's huge arms wrapped around my waist and prevented me from cracking my head open. For a second, I relished in the warmth that was coming off of his skin, enjoying the way our body's seemed to meld together in perfect harmony. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, feeling the weight of his-

Wait a minute.

My eyes shot open and I scrambled to get out of his grip, but it seemed as if he had no intention of letting me go. His arms practically weighed ten tons, and I flailed and thrashed my body around in an attempt to get away from him. It didn't seem like he even noticed with the way he was sighing like he was completely content.

If I didn't get away from him I was either going to get raped or kidnapped. By the looks of it, it seems like the outcome could only be bad.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to me.

"Can you just let go of me?" I snapped.

He tensed up for a minute and then finally took his hands off of me. I was ready to run again when his voice stopped me dead in my tracks, "Wait, don't go. Please, I swear I'm not a creep or anything."

My feet stayed glued in place and I cursed myself for going paralyzed just because of how desperate he sounded. I slowly turned back towards him, taking in how hurt he seemed to be from the way I reacted to him.

"I don't know you, ok? Look, all I want to do is go home and forget any of this ever happened," his face fell even more. I felt like an idiot when my heart sunk as well.

"My name's Collin Rivera. I'm seventeen and I live a block away from here. I've lived in La Push all my life. I have a younger sister named Madison and she's twelve. My favorite color is red, favorite animal is a wolf, and I love playing football. I'm allergic to chocolate and hate pumpkin pie-,"

"Ok," I put my hands up in surrender, "I didn't ask for your whole life story, damn."

He cracked a smile. Somehow he went from looking heartbroken to extremely happy. I didn't think I was exactly being nice to him. What is up with this guy? "You're the girl Seth, Jake and Embry helped out today, aren't you?"

I was only slightly shocked that they were his friends, with them all coincidentally walking around half naked with six packs that could kill innocent girls everywhere it just seemed to click.

"I guess I am?" I shrugged.

"Your name's Ellie, right?" he took a step closer and I somehow didn't cringe.

I nodded, "Did my charming comebacks give me away?"

He smiled again, making my heart speed up, "You could say that. I'm sorry I freaked you out. I guess I would feel the same way if some random guy started spewing out crap that sounded completely perverted."

A small grin appeared on my face without permission. I could feel that stupid pull tugging on me harder. Let's just say I didn't have the energy to fight against it, "I guess its ok. Although you having no shirt on definitely boosted you up a few points on the creep-o-meter."

He seemed embarrassed, slightly blushing, "Life's too short to bother with putting on a shirt in the morning."

I tried as hard as I could to hold in the laugh that was daring to come out of my mouth, but it became too much to handle and I laughed in spite of myself. He laughed right along with me too.

"Good point," I commented, "So, you're allergic to chocolate? How does that work out?"

He furrowed his eyebrows at me and then snorted, "It's not difficult to avoid chocolate when it causes your throat to close up. What about you? Are you allergic to anything?"

I nodded, "I'm allergic to bullshit, but that's irrelevant."

He shook his head, "I have a feeling we're going to get along really well."

My smile faded a little at that. His words made me really absorb everything that was happening. It's one in the morning and I'm actually having a full conversation with a stranger? Well, now that he's practically told me everything about himself he's not exactly a stranger but still. What was I getting myself into? Why do I feel so obligated to find out more about…Collin?

"Look, I know this is probably weird for you and all," he put his hand on my arm and I almost flinched away from the jolt that went through me, "but I really hope I can see you again sometime, when I'm not creeping you out."

I stared up at him, feeling like I could stand there forever, "I think I overreacted just a little," I had no idea where that came from. I should be scared of what's happening. I should be running from this. I should be at home and in bed, without any knowledge of who he was, "As confusing as this all was, I'm glad it happened," what did I just say? I'm glad it happened?

I think the real question here is what is happening to me?

He sighed, and his brown eyes were all I could see anymore, "Ellie," he whispered, looking like he was repeating my name over and over secretly inside his head, "I can't believe this happened to be honest."

Ok, no idea what that means. Just nod and pretend to know what he's talking about, "I should probably be getting home before my mom finds out I left in the first place," I broke my gaze away from his and started walking down the steep rocks again.

"Be careful, these rocks aren't really all that safe," he gently placed his hand on the small of my back.

I looked back at him over my shoulder, trying to convince myself that this was only a dream and I would wake up soon. None of this could be real, because then that would mean that this hot guy is actually having some sort of effect on me, which never happens. As we both journeyed our way down onto the soft sand, I got the feeling that he wasn't going to depart from me just yet. My assumption was confirmed when we were away from the beach.

The silence between us allowed me to really hear how much wildlife there was at night in La Push. You could hear all of the insects making their presence known with their beautiful symphony of chirping. I walked to the beat of the sound of a few crickets, watching as Collin did the same. There was a slight chill to the air, which really shouldn't be there when it was August.

My teeth were literally chattering now, "How can you stand not wearing a shirt? It feels like its forty degrees outside."

I wrapped my arms around myself to try to keep warm. Collin chuckled at me before he stretched his arm out and practically engulfed me in it. I couldn't find it in me to protest since it felt so damn good. Should I find it strange that it feels like he has a fever? Probably. I figured I shouldn't ask.

"Where are you from? Because here this type of weather is considered warm."

My eyes widened. I definitely was not going to get used to this anytime soon, "Arizona, where this is considered winter and August is full of humid nights with no sign of rain for days."

"Yeah, you're definitely out of your comfort zone then. It's a miracle if this place can go two straight days without rain."

"Great," I mumbled.

We didn't say much the rest of the way to my house. Yes, he walked with me all the way home. I know I really shouldn't be doing this since I didn't know him. I just couldn't shake away the voice in my head that kept telling me I needed this.

I pulled the key out of my pocket for the front door, and turned around towards Collin. He stared at me with a permanent smile on his face. I don't think I can forget that smile even if I tried.

"Well, uh, thanks," I sounded so awkward, "for walking me home, I mean."

He nodded, "No problem. See you around Ellie."

"Bye…Collin," even his name made me go crazy inside.

I watched him slowly move away from me inch by inch, taking notice to the way it seemed like he hesitated to keep walking after every few steps. When he was out of sight I opened the door and closed it firmly behind me.

I leaned up against the frame and reeled through the night in my head, letting it play over and over again until I finally managed to convince myself that it all actually happened. Part of me wanted that to be just a dream, while most of me actually loved everything that happened tonight.

I have just gone through one of the weirdest experiences of my whole life so far. Not only that, but I also met another one of the half naked locals of La Push, who seemed to completely rule my heart already…

Crap. I'm losing my mind.

* * *

I parked next to the curb and looked at the building out of the passenger side window. Staring between the address in my hands and the sign in the window I confirmed that I was in the right place. After getting completely lost about seven times I thought I would never make it here. I wasted almost a full tank of gas that I will have to replace for my mom later. I cannot wait until my ford gets here already. Borrowing her car felt like I just ordered one ticket for an endless ride on the lame bus. It was a minivan, so that was understandable right?

I turned off the ignition and stepped out of the van, reading the dark green letters that spelled out 'Peninsula Friends of Animals' over the door. It was pretty small, smashed in between a computer repair shop and a coffee house to the left and right of it.

I walked in through the door and listened to the bells that chimed above my head. Immediately, I heard the barking of dogs that wanted nothing more than to get out of their kennels and the meowing of cats that would rather be anywhere but where they were.

"Hello," a girl about my age stood behind the desk. She wore a smile that reached her eyes, "Welcome to PFOA, I'm Layla. Are you looking to adopt today?"

Her hair was a chestnut brown color and curled perfectly around her face, almost blending in with her naturally tan skin. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green, making her look slightly less Native American. Maybe, possibly, hopefully, I won't stick out so much when I start school. But so far I've just been a blond haired blue eyed sore thumb.

"I was actually looking into volunteering?" I asked.

She bobbed her head up and down, the smile never disappearing from her face, "Of course! We're always looking for volunteers. We can use all the help we can get. Let me go get Nancy for you and I'll be right back."

I didn't even have time to respond before she disappeared. It took me a minute to register what happened when I was finally left alone. She seemed like an all around happy person, it was almost sickening in a way.

I stood around looking at a few guinea pigs and rabbits that were scattered around in cages in the front. On the computer behind the desk I could see the logo of the shelter light up the screen. A swinging door led into the back where I assumed the animals stayed.

Before I knew it Layla returned with a middle-aged, curly haired woman walking right behind her.

"This is Nancy the shelter director," Layla introduced us, heading back to her spot behind the desk when the phone started to ring.

"It's nice to meet you," I shook her hand, "I'm Ellie."

Her hair was dark brown with a tinge of gray in it. Her facial features practically screamed Quileute, and I couldn't help but feel like a ghost when I saw how much darker her skin was than mine.

"It's nice to meet you too," she grinned, "So I see you're interested in volunteering."

I nodded, "I absolutely love animals. My dream has always been to become a vet and, well, I figured this was one step in the right direction."

"You've obviously come to the right place," she headed over towards one of the cages where a dwarf rabbit was nibbling on some hay, "We don't get many volunteers around here. Most kids your age are looking for part-time jobs instead."

She carefully removed the empty water bottle that was attached to the side of the cage and started walking towards the back. With the wave of her hand I immediately followed after her.

"I find this much more interesting than those jobs. Just knowing I can help a few animals in need is good enough pay for me."

She let out an amused chuckled, leading me into a closet sized room full of various types of animal food. Nancy went to the sink to the back of the room and filled up the bottle with water.

"You sound passionate," she glanced at me, "and that's exactly the type of people we want here," when she finished filling the bottle and turned off the sink, she didn't move right away. She just examined me up and down, only looking slightly intimidating, "Volunteering here includes taking care of the animals, which means feeding them, cleaning their cages, and sometimes even bathing them. We also walk the dogs whenever we can, and try to include some fun play time for all of the animals. There's only a few of us here, so it's hard sometimes."

I felt excitement burning inside of me. I've always been a nature freak and completely fascinated by animals. Let me loose in a pet store and I go crazy. I could stay there for hours. Helping out in a shelter has always been something I've wanted to do.

"I'm willing to do whatever you need me to."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I think you're going to fit right in here," she started walking back out of the room and I followed her again, waiting for her to put the water bottle back onto the rabbit cage.

After that, she led me to the back rooms where the animals were. I've been in animal shelters before, and it has always been a bad experience for me. I never fail to cry when I see all of the sad faces of these animals who have gone through so much. Right now, all I knew was that I had to suck it up and realize I was going to help these animals in any way I could.

She took me to see the dogs first. There were only a couple of empty cages, but most were filled. Some of the dogs jumped right up on the chain linked fence while others cowered back into the corner. It was terrible to see the look in some of their eyes. How desperate they seemed to want to get out, and how much they pleaded with you to make all of their pain go away. I became overwhelmed after I left the room, leaning up against the wall in the hallway when I felt like falling over.

"Those were our dogs up for adoption right now," she seemed to know that I was slightly bothered by what I saw, so she stayed behind with me for a few minutes and led me to where the cats stayed. The feeling in the pit of my stomach after I saw that room wasn't much better than before, but I forced myself to stay composed.

Even when it got worse, when I had to see the dogs and cats not ready for adoption yet, I stayed calm. It wasn't until we were completely finished with the tour of the shelter that I realized how much I wanted to start now. I wanted to jump right in and help out as best as I could. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of those animals. It would make me the happiest person in the world.

And I knew that somewhere, wherever he was, my dad was looking down at me and smiling. I could almost hear him tell me he's proud of me, to keep my dreams alive. And all I can think is…we'll see how that works out.

**Originally I wasn't going to make her find him creepy but then I thought about how I pretty much would find that sort of thing creepy especially when its on a beach where its only the two of them and at that time of night. How about all of you? haha **

**I also hope you liked the ending part? I am in love with animals like Ellie and pretty much aspire to do exactly what she wants to do with her life. I have also only gone to one animal shelter before with my class. God it was so depressing and I wanted to adopt all of the animals there :( **

**I also have adopted a shelter dog and I do reccomend it since it is not only saving one life but two. You're saving the animal you adopt and opening up a spot for another animal in need (heard that somewhere don't remember where found it extremely true) Last October we got our 5 month old puppy Sadie and now she's a happy little one year old baby who loves toys :) and shoes...not that you care or anything...**

**Question for all of you: Have you ever been to an animal shelter? (if yes) What was the experience like? (and) Have you rescued a pet from a shelter?**

**Don't feel obligated to answer I'm just curious cause I'm an animal freak :P**

**(Pointless sidenote) My avatar is amazing because Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) is amazingly amazing...**

**I rambled too much in this Author's note...**

**~KK**


	3. 3 Love to Hate You

**Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I've posted anything, but over those months I just couldn't find it in me to write anything. I guess I just wasn't getting inspired enough...i'm not even sure. But after my long absence I've finally decided to try to get back into the swing of things. We'll see how that decision plays out by the responses I get I guess. I'm not sure what I'll be doing next, and if you've read any of my other stories you know that two of them are still uncompleted. In Too Deep, well I guess I'll have to think through everything I want to do next with that. This story was just so fresh and new that I felt like I could mold it into anything I wanted. And that's exactly what I did with this new chapter.**

**I hope some of my amazing readers from before are still out there and I hope you all like this chapter. I'm sorry for my long absence :( I've just been overwhelmed with life. **

**Enough of my rambling, get to it! :)**

Chapter 3

Love to Hate You

Finally, my last day of training was finished. It's been two weeks since I first went to orientation at the shelter. Two and a half weeks since I first arrived in this swampland. I grunted in frustration when I walked out of the shelter and discovered that the air was already starting to feel humid. Another storm was heading this way, as if this place really needed more rain. The plants were probably drowning by now.

I walked towards the parking lot, trying my best to avoid any puddles that were in my path. As I got closer to my car I began to fish around in my purse for my keys, and for the split second that I took my eyes off of the ground I accidentally stepped right into what seemed like a six foot deep trench full of water.

"Shit," I cursed to myself, realizing how stupid it was that I _still _didn't have a single pair of rain boots. I was dumb to ever think that it wouldn't rain today. Now my favorite pair of flats was probably ruined.

I quickly stepped out of the puddle and ran the rest of the way to my car, trapping myself inside when I finally managed to open the door. I felt like I was in a horror movie, trying to hide in my car from the murderer that was chasing me. But it wasn't a murderer that was after me, it was a vicious storm instead. I could hear the thunder roaring above me, and silently watched as black clouds began to roll in.

I knew there had to be a shoe store around here somewhere. This place can't be that far off the face of the earth.

I drove out of the parking lot and began searching each street for any sign of a shoe store. I knew I would have to hurry if I was going to get home before it started raining. I wasn't really all that great at driving in the rain.

"Bookstore, liquor store, something with a name I can't pronounce," I squinted in order to see each sign that I drove past. It took me about ten minutes to finally find the tiny store on the corner next to a pawn shop.

I parked near the sidewalk only a block away, running towards the store like Michael Meyers was chasing me with a butcher knife. I really _really_ didn't want to get caught driving in the rain. As soon as I got in I picked out the only pair of rain boots I could find in the whole place. They were black and rose halfway up my calf, which was good enough for me. I quickly paid the store clerk and ran back out to the car, starting it up so I could get home as fast as possible.

You would think that I would start to get used to the rain after living here for two and a half weeks. I guess I was just being bitter about it, but I really did miss the sun. I could go outside for hours on end back in Arizona. I would be lucky if I could stay outside for thirty consecutive minutes here in Washington. It was sad really.

The rain didn't feel like cooperating with me on my way home. Halfway through the drive it started down pouring, and I could barely see through the windshield. I had to drive at about twenty miles per hour just to be sure that I didn't crash.

Once I was finally past Forks and entering La Push I let out a big sigh of relief. I turned onto an unknown street in order to try and get home faster than my usual route. I turned my attention off of the road for a slight second to turn down the heat in the car, and when I looked up I saw a raccoon sitting smack dab in the middle of the road.

I slammed on my brakes so that I wouldn't hit the poor animal, and started hydroplaning out of nowhere. I turned my wheel suddenly, and closed my eyes as I braced myself for what was to come. Either I was going to hit the raccoon or something else. A couple seconds later and I was thrown forward against the steering wheel, and I knew in that moment that I had crashed. I had just ruined my car. The car that my mom had just given me the keys to, telling me she trusted that I could handle driving my own car. The car that used to be my father's.

I was in deep shit.

I blinked a couple of times and stared in awe at how much damage I had done to the front end of the car. As some of the smoke cleared I saw the tree that I had inevitably run into. I could feel my whole body shaking from the horrible situation I was now stuck in. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and disappear.

I pulled the hood of my sweater over my head and zipped it up as far as it would go, hiding my head inside like a turtle hiding in its shell. I sunk down into my seat and rested my head up against my knees, wishing this was all just a dream. If it was, then my subconscious was a cruel piece of shit. If not, then I'm a dumb piece of shit.

Now you know why I absolutely hate the rain. It was my worst enemy in this small town. Now I definitely felt like I was in a horror movie from how fast my heart was racing. By now Michael Meyers would've stabbed me multiple times and I would be dead. I would probably be better off if that happened.

I kept myself in my shell for only a few more minutes before someone knocked on my window. I jumped from the sound and reluctantly looked up. Once I realized who it was I went right back into my shell again. Great, this creep is stalking me now. What was his name? Cole?

He opened the door without permission and my head shot upright in less than a second.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snapped.

He held his hands up in surrender, "You crashed your car," he looked like he was worried about me.

"So, what's it to you? How did you even find me?" I was disgusted by the fact that part of me felt bad for talking to him this way.

"You're kind of on my property," and then he suddenly half smiled, unphased by my callous tone.

I looked out the back window and saw a small house directly across from me. I now realized that I somehow ended up on the side of his house. Out of all people.

I turned towards the door and glared at him so he would know to move. He backed away obediently and I stepped out of the car, hissing at the pain I suddenly felt in my arm.

As soon as that happened, all hell broke loose, "Are you ok?" he stepped closer to me, "Were you hurt? Is something broken? Oh God I should call 911! Shit where's my phone!"

"Will you shut up already?!" I screamed, "I'm fine!"

My heart sunk from how rude I was being to him. He was just concerned for me. I shouldn't be acting like-

What am I even talking about?

"Ugh!" I groaned, heading to the front of the car and checking out the damage. Right now I couldn't care less that I was getting soaked from the rain. The whole front bumper was smashed in. There was no way I could cover this up. I was screwed no matter what. And to make matters worse it was stuck on this idiot's property. I don't even know what I'm going to do.

I definitely wasn't staying here all night just to watch the car, and I couldn't bring it home either. So I was just going to have to leave it here and trust he doesn't do anything with it.

I walked back to the car door while he was staring me down, still looking slightly frantic. I grabbed the keys out of the ignition and my dirty flats out of the passenger's seat.

"I'm going to have to come back tomorrow to pick up the car," I said to him, "I swear to God if you do anything to this car I'm going to hurt you!"

His frantic face turned into one of amusement. Oh great, so he has frequent mood swings. One second he's worried, the next he's acting all cocky, and then he's back to being worried again.

"I'm sure you couldn't hurt me," he pointed out.

I was ready to laugh at that, but stopped myself, "Whatever," I said.

As I began to walk around him in the direction of my house I became more and more confused by what was going through my head. I didn't know this guy at all and yet there's something inside of me that wants to know him. That night we first met should've completely creeped me out, but a part of me actually enjoyed it. Part of me couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Where are you going?" he called after me, and I could hear his footsteps following closely behind me.

"I'm going home," I glanced over my shoulder at him. I wanted to be rid of these stupid butterflies fluttering around inside of me every time I saw his face.

"Why don't you let me give you a ride? It'll be much safer that way. Plus, you'll have less of a chance of getting pneumonia," he suggested.

I shook my head, even though I really wanted to get out of the rain, "I'm pretty sure I can manage."

I glimpsed at my feet and then looked up again, my heart stopping because he was now standing right in front of me.

"How did you-?" I shook my head, "Never mind."

I walked around him and kept going.

"You know you're heading in the wrong direction right?"

My walking soon turned into nothing, and I just stood there and let his words sink in.

"How do you even know where I live?"

He smiled, "I walked you home remember?"

I sighed, "I try not to."

He made sure to keep his hands in his pockets and far away from me, from touching me. I scanned him up and down for a minute and realized how handsome he really was. How stupid it was for someone as plain and unattractive as me to be even thinking about someone like him.

Ugh, just stop it already.

"Just let me take you home in my car. You don't have to talk to me or even look at me. I just want to know you're safe."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I didn't know him and he didn't know me. We were practically strangers, and yet he was concerned about me getting home safe. Why should he care about my safety?

"Please?" he pouted his lower lip.

The more I stared at him the more I felt my mean façade falter. The more I wanted to get to know him and figure out exactly why he would ever begin talking to me, the outsider from Arizona who can barely handle a little rain.

And despite all the fury inside of me. Despite how horrible this night was turning out to be, and how much I acted like I wanted to hate him, I laughed at the face he was making.

"You know that's really pathetic."

A slight smile appeared on my face, all my hate for him melting away the second we made eye contact. I had gone from infuriated to completely content in less than five seconds.

"So is that a yes?"

I shrugged, "I guess it is," I was feeling more confused than ever.

This wasn't like me. This behavior was completely out of the ordinary. I wasn't the type of girl that got all soft around guys I thought were attractive. I kept my walls up and let my snarky side take over. It was a defense mechanism I used in order to keep most people away from me, away from the hurt my life constantly brought on and would eventually bring on. It was easier to live knowing that if I did end up having Huntington's, then I wouldn't have tons of friends crowding around at my funeral. I didn't have to feel burdened by the fact that this disease would hurt those people more than it could ever hurt me. It was bad enough that I had my family to worry about; I couldn't worry about friends either. So, I only really had two true friends back in Arizona who were willing to put up with my bullshit, Tristan and Layla. But who knows, moving to La Push could've changed all of that.

I really don't understand why I suddenly felt like getting closer to him instead of pushing him away from me. Almost every part of me was telling me to deny his offer to take me home and forget he ever existed. But it was my heart that was telling me to give him a shot, and for some odd reason I listened to it.

I followed him to the driveway out in front of his house where an old beat up truck was parked. He went inside and got the keys for the car while I waited on the porch, trying to get it through my thick skull that nothing like this could ever happen again. After this I had to stop talking to him.

He came back out looking like he just won some sort of amazing prize. I honestly didn't understand what was so exciting about this.

On the way to my house I kept my eyes out the window while my teeth chattered and my hands shook inside my coat pockets. The whole way there I could feel his eyes studying me, and I was afraid that I was going to get into another accident from how focused he was on me instead of the road.

"You're freezing," he pointed out.

"N-No, I-I'm r-r-really not," I groaned at how weak my lie was.

He reached his arm out towards me and wrapped it around my back. I immediately froze from the contact, and looked back at him with a glare.

"You d-don't have t-to d-do that," I said.

His expression was completely serious, "I can't just watch you shaking like a leaf over there."

It was difficult to deny that his extremely warm skin wasn't helping. It was even harder to say that I didn't feel satisfied with his arm around me.

"We're n-not friends," I was trying to convince myself more than him.

He seemed to become slightly saddened by what I just said, and he instantly covered it up with a smile so I wouldn't notice, "You say that now, but I can be pretty convincing."

"And I-I'm a tough egg to crack."

He shook his head from side to side, "I'm not going to back down. I'll sit and wait around forever if I have to."

"Why would you do t-that?" I asked, exasperated by the fact that he was so persistent, "What makes m-me so different f-from everyone else? You're a nice looking guy who c-can probably have anyone he wanted. I'm s-sure it won't bruise your ego too much."

He became silent then, and I didn't feel like saying anything else either. I just sat there and looked out the window again with his arm still clinging firmly around me.

"I think you just said that I'm nice looking," I could practically hear the cheeky grin on his face from the way he was talking, "Which means you think I'm hot."

I rolled my eyes, "Ok, let's get one thing straight I do _not_ in any way, shape or form think that you are hot."

I was lying and I knew it, and by the chuckle I heard from him he knew it as well.

"Say what you want, but I know what you really meant."

I turned my head back around towards him, feeling that soft side of me begin to take control of me after I saw the way he smiled. I took a small peak down at his stomach and could see his perfect abs showing through his fitting shirt, which made it even harder to deny the fact that he was the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life.

"You think way too highly of yourself," I threw it out there in an attempt to regain some of that anger I had in my voice before, but it was no use, I was becoming the Pillsbury dough boy.

I placed my head onto the cold glass window for the rest of the ride home, feeling defeated. When we finally arrived and he stopped his truck right in front of the house I expected him to just let me go up to the door by myself. I realized that wasn't exactly going to be the case. As he made his way around to my door I wondered why he was trying so hard. It was like he was trying to impress me and yet we barely even knew each other.

He opened the door for me and I stepped out of the car, holding back any mean comments my brain felt like spewing at him. The air was quiet as we made our way towards the door. I kept my gaze on both of our feet as we walked up the steps, thinking about how weird this night was turning out to be. When we were both finally standing still and we stood there face to face, I couldn't find it in me to just tell him to go.

"Thanks for driving me home," its official, I'm giving up on being a harsh and cruel jerk to him, "I'll come by tomorrow to get the car."

He nodded and just stared at me in silence. I looked up at him through my eyelashes, wondering what he found so interesting about my face that caused him to stare at it for so long. There had to be some sort of food stain or something in between my teeth for him to do that.

I began to open the door with my key and could practically feel his breath on the back of my neck.

"You know I have this friend who's pretty good at fixing up cars. I'm sure he would be willing to take a look at it for you if you want."

I took one step inside and turned back around, "It's ok, really. I'm probably not going to be able to afford whatever price he's asking for anyways. I'm completely broke."

He shook his head, "He won't charge you anything."

My eyes widened at that small flicker of hope he was teasing me with, "Really?"

I saw him nod, "Yeah, he's one of my best friends."

And at that moment, I couldn't resist the feelings that were clattering around inside of me. Somehow, I went against everything I believed in and everything I've done in the past, and I completely rid myself of all the hate for him.

"Thank you, you don't know how much that would mean to me."

As I stood there watching rain drip off of his soaking wet clothes and dark hair I did something I've never done before. Something that my heart was telling me to do.

"Do you want to come inside for a minute? I could get you a towel to dry off."

He looked just about as surprised as I felt, "Am I still talking to the same Ellie from before or are you her clone? I swear you hated me just ten minutes ago."

I chuckled, "Yeah, well you Quileutes make it hard to hate any of you with your tan skin and dark hair. It's hypnotizing. So, are you coming in or not? This is a once in a life time offer that won't come up too many times in the future."

He raised his eyebrows, "Did you just imply that I'm hot…again?"

I shook my head and slowly began to close the door, "Bye Collin."

He tightly gripped the wood with his hand, and he used so much force that I immediately stopped, "Yes, I would love to come inside."

"You should've said that in the first place."

Collin smiled down at me as he stepped into my house, "You must think you're pretty funny."

I shrugged one shoulder, "I wouldn't really say _that_."

"Want to know something else?"

I closed the door behind the two of us, barely taking account of the fact that he was inside of my living room. The guy I thought was creepy a half an hour ago was now here in my house. God, I never would've predicted this to happen.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

He didn't even take his gaze off of me to check out the place. His focus was solely on me, "You also said that you won't make this kind of offer again in the future, which can only imply that you plan on seeing me in the future. And that means that we are in fact friends."

I stood there and thought that through for a minute, realizing that I really did say that. I also realized that I actually wanted that to be true. I wanted to see him in the future, but I wasn't about to let him know that.

"We're not friends. I hate you," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You're just in denial."

"Look, do you want a towel or not?" I put my hand on my hip.

He laughed, "Yes please."

I allowed myself to smile at him and then started to head for the bathroom. Once I finally snapped back into reality I realized that mom and Luke were nowhere to be found. Or else they were just hiding and making no sound whatsoever. I wasn't going to complain about them being away though. I didn't need mom trying to embarrass me about bringing a 'boy' into our house.

I walked into the bathroom and grabbed the closest towel I could find. When I turned back around I bumped right into Collin's wall of muscles, my face getting smashed up against his biceps.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled, stumbling backwards.

He grabbed my arm gently and steadied me, "Shit, I'm sorry. Are you ok? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry."

I began to giggle at him and how easily he overreacted, "You know you have a tendency to freak out at the smallest things."

His body instantly relaxed when he realized that I was perfectly fine, "Believe me if it were anyone else I would've let them fall on their ass."

I was set back by that, but brushed it off quickly.

"Here's your towel captain weird."

Collin grabbed it and grinned sheepishly.

"I'm gonna leave you in here to dry off. I'll be in my room if you need anything."

He nodded silently and I walked out of the bathroom. I went into my room and changed into my comfortable pajamas, and as I changed I thought about who was in the room right down the hall from me. I thought about how it got to this point. It took a car crash and a ride home with him for me to get over the fact that I thought he was creepy, and I truly wondered why I felt so compelled to believe that his intentions were only good. Why did my heart feel so strongly for this guy when I didn't know one thing about him? Why did I feel like it would've hurt me if I didn't let him come inside? As if I would miss him if he suddenly left.

I fell back onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to understand when and how I suddenly turned soft. I was never this accepting of guys before. I've always rejected any guy who has tried to come too close to me. I even rejected a senior that asked me to prom last year back in Arizona. Well, that was partially because he was known to be a man-whore who only went out with girls for sex. Tristan was the only guy who I did get close to, but that was only because he was just as rude and sarcastic as I was. Plus, he was gay so it wasn't like he was going to be coming on to me anytime soon.

"Ellie?" Collin knocked on the door frame.

I sat up straight, erasing all my thoughts for now. I noticed how wide his eyes were as he looked around my room and took everything in. It really was a lot to take in too. From the lights strewn around my room to the teal walls, to the many pictures posted all over my walls. It could be considered overwhelming to some.

"This is your _room_?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I just finished everything up a couple of days ago."

He took a couple steps inside and my heart stuttered.

Ugh, shut the hell up you obnoxious organ.

His eyes finally met mine and all I can say is that I was getting lost in them. From the way the light was hitting them they were completely black which made him look even hotter than before…

Oh God did I really just think that in my head?

"It looks amazing," he walked over to one of the walls and began to admire each one individually, his hands residing in his back pockets. I found it really attractive whenever guys did that…

I stood up and walked over to him, smiling at the picture of the chocolate lab he was staring at, "That's Milky Way," I stated proudly, "he was one of my favorites."

Collin looked at me with a confused expression on his face. I felt obligated to explain, "Back in Arizona I volunteered at a shelter and all of these pictures," I looked around the room, "are pictures of animals I cared for."

And with that, my body started shivering from having his eyes on me. My heart was going insane and I started to feel dizzy, but I kept my composure in front of him. I couldn't let him know that I was becoming less sane each time he looked at me.

"You like animals."

I nodded, "I love them," I moved over to another picture of a tabby cat with only one eye, knowing that Collin would follow me, "This is Rosco. He came in with a ruptured eye from getting scratched by a cat during a fight. The owner turned him in, but only after it was too late. The eye was badly infected and had to be removed immediately. I took care of him every day for almost six months. He was an optimistic cat and a fighter, and he got adopted just before I left Arizona."

It wasn't hard for me to begin to ramble on about a few more pictures. If you get me started on talking about animals then I'm never going to stop. Volunteering was the easiest thing for me to talk about because it was the one thing that got me through my dad's illness. It lifted me up when I was down and kept my tears away.

"You seem passionate about helping these animals," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I am," I sat back down on my bed to stop myself from talking more about my experiences, "I'm sorry it must be totally boring for you to hear about all of that. I just get so caught up in it that I can't stop myself from talking. It's a horrible habit of mine."

He sat right next to me on my bed, our faces barely inches apart, "You want to know something I just realized?"

Oh great this again, "What now?"

"You actually seemed like you really liked me there for a minute. Like you enjoyed having me here."

I lost my train of thought for a moment and just gaped at him, neither denying nor accepting what he said as the truth.

A couple minutes later, I blinked rapidly in order to get a hold of myself. And once I knew I was in control again, I moved my face closer to his, tricking him.

"You want to know something that_ I_ realized?" I asked, mocking him.

He was still moving closer, looking like he was ready to –I hate to say it- kiss me.

"You're pushing your luck," I stood up quickly, watching him as he sat there looking stunned. I began laughing as I watched his face fall.

"I can't believe you just did that," He tried to act mad but I could see the hint of a smile on his lips.

"And I can't believe you thought we would kiss when I don't even know you. I'm really considering going back to hating you and thinking you're a creep just because of that."

"I wasn't going to kiss you. We're not even friends remember?"

"Yes, I remember," I was almost ready to say we were friends, but I knew that I wasn't even remotely sure of anything right now. Not when my head and my heart were not agreeing on much.

He walked over to where I was standing and towered over my usually tall frame. His eyes grew serious for a minute, and I can say that I felt slightly intimidated, "You're one of the most confusing girls I've ever met."

I crossed my arms over my chest, "That's only because I don't know how I should feel about you."

Did I really just admit that to him? I should've thought that through before I let it come out of my mouth.

"If you stick around you can find out," he offered.

Just then I heard the front door begin to open, and I heard my mom and my brother walk into the house.

"We're home Ellie!" My mom shouted in a cheery, sing song voice.

I let my gaze fall away from his face and I was now eye level with his chest, "Great, I haven't even thought about what I was going to tell her, let alone how I'm going to explain you being here to her."

He chuckled, "If you start it off I'll help you out," he paused for a moment, making it seem like he was contemplating whether or not to say something, and choosing to say it anyways, "but only if you promise to hang out with me tomorrow."

I glared at him, "Bribery is a brutal way to get me to hang out with you."

"Come on, you're going to have to get the car tomorrow anyways."

I sighed and slapped my hand on my forehead, "I guess I don't really have a choice then."

"Ellie?" I heard my mom heading down the hallway, "Who are you talking-," her question was answered when she walked through the door.

"Hey mom," I exclaimed, "Where did you guys go?"

"Who's this?" My question was completely ignored, and I could see that devilish look in her eyes when she took notice of Collin. It was the same face she had on when that guy Seth and I were talking when we first moved in. She was going to be a matchmaker again.

"Well it's a funny story actually-,"

"I'm Collin Rivera," he stuck his hand out for her to shake and she gladly accepted it, "Ellie's friend."

Oh yeah this was really helping _me._

"It's nice to meet you Collin, and it's good to know Ellie's already making some friends. So what brings you here?"

"Like I said, it's a funny story. On my way home from the shelter I kinda tried to take a shortcut down his street and a raccoon came out of nowhere. I could barely see and I accidently swerved the car so I wouldn't hit it and ran into a," I gulped, "a tree…outside his house."

Her expression was blank then and I already knew she was mad, "Dad's car?" her lifeless voice was returning, which could only mean that I royally screwed this all up.

"It's ok though!" I pointed to Collin, who wasn't really saying much. So much for holding up his end of the bargain, "He said his friend can fix it up for free."

I could see the glint of tears in her eyes that were ready to pour out, but she kept calm because Collin was here, "Did he really?"

"Yes," he finally chimed in, "It shouldn't be a problem. He can fix it up tomorrow and have it back to you in perfect condition in no time."

My mom grinned at that, "Well that would be just great if he could."

Collin nodded and smiled, "I'll make sure it happens."

"Oh Ellie you should bring this guy around more often! He's a sweetheart!"

"Yeah he's a real gem," I muttered sarcastically.

Collin shot me a smirk, "Plus, Ellie and I wanted to hang out a bit tomorrow if that would be ok with you?"

Really? He's going to do this to me? I mean I know I wasn't being so nice to him before, but this is just plain mean. He knows that he's got my mom hooked, now he's just trying to score extra brownie points.

"That would be wonderful wouldn't it Ellie?" she gave me a sideways hug.

"I wouldn't call it wonderful," I guess I couldn't complain because I know if Collin wasn't here then I would be getting a mouthful from her right now. So technically he was saving me….and now I owed him.

"I should be going," Collin said to me, "it was nice to meet you," he smiled at my mom.

"You can call me Shirley dear," she decided to give him a hug instead of shaking his hand again. I immediately felt my cheeks starting to turn red from her actions. It was just like her to do something like that. To be honest, it seemed like she liked him even more than I did.

Once my mom was finished with her little hug fest I led Collin back through the hall and into the living room. He faced me after I opened the door for him and wouldn't stop smiling at me.

"Your mom is one of the nicest people I've ever met."

I sighed dramatically, "She can be a little over the top sometimes. Any friends I bring home are practically treated like royalty. I guess she thinks I don't do enough of that."

And everything became serious for those few minutes we were standing there. The cold air blew in from outside, but neither of us seemed to notice. I was trying to figure out why I just said that while he was probably surprised that I decided to reveal that small part of information about myself.

"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow then," I said, "against my own free will."

He smirked at me again and brushed a piece of hair out of my face, "You know you can't wait to see me tomorrow."

I bit my lip just because I didn't want to admit out loud to him that every word he just spoke was the God honest truth.

"Your head seems to be increasing in size by the second," I joked, trying to keep my cool.

He let out one more laugh before he started to head out, "Bye Ellie," he glanced back at me one more time before his eye contact drifted to somewhere in the distance.

I whispered a goodbye before I closed the door, trying to contain all of these emotions that were mixing around inside of me. This night full of strange events left me with many questions, and with a lot to sort through. I highly doubt that I'll get any sleep tonight.

Great. Just great.

**So again I just want to say thank you to everyone who has made it to the end of this chapter. I know that it's wrong of me to be asking for any reviews at this point but if you liked it then let me know and we'll see where this story goes from there.**

**I know that Ellie seems really confusing in this chapter, but I wanted it to be that way. She's completely confused by everything Collin is bombarding her with all at once. And let me just say that every time I had to type the name Collin I was very close to writing Brady instead...I guess my fingers are accustomed to writing for In Too Deep haha**

**Thank you very much for reading this! Review if you still have a tiny bit of faith in me! :)**

**~KK**


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